Precautionary sign.



llllb E. HHBOSTOCK.

v PRECAUTIONARY SIGN.

APPLICATION ,FILED FEB.15. 19|6,

lPiiatel'lued Apr. 3. 1917.

Mmmm

WIT/M8358 RneAR n. nos'rocn, or NU'rLnY, New JERSEY, AfssIGNoR or ONE-HALF To MANSFIELD a coJor NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NRW YORK.

PRECAUTIONARY SIGN'.

restera,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 191'?.

Application led February 15, 1916. Serial No. 78,412.

- and Improved Precautionary Sign., of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is Jto-provide a new and improved precautionary sign,

` more specially designed for use over the eX- its of theaters, concert halls and other buildings and arranged to be 4distinctly visible in case' the usualilluminating means should become extinguished forany reason whatever,

thus enabling an audience to reach the exit in the dark and thereby preventing a panic in case of a fire or other disturbance. In order to produce the desired result,` use is made of a sign preferably located over an exit door and provided with indicating characters defined by a light absorbing substance, to render the characters visible in the dark and illuminating means associated with the said characters to render the said characters visible'as long as the illuminating means are burning and tocause the rays of light emanating from the said illuminating means to be absorbed by the substance during the time the illuminating means are burning to render the said characters visible in the dark which similar characters of reference indiy cate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a face view of the precaution ary sign with a portion of the refiector or a hood'shown broken out;

' Fig. 2 is a transverse section of-the same on theline 2- 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged'sectional plan View` of a portion -of the glass plate;

V Fig. '5 is a reduced face fyiew of 'a modified form of the precautionary sign with a portion of the hood broken out; 'and .Fig 6 is an edge view ofthe same.

The frame 10 of the precautionarysign is preferably made of tin or'other bright refleeting material having a back 11` and re'- tainingflanges 12 at the bottom and theA Retaining clips 14 are attachedvto the left-hand frame l flange 12 and are bent over the edge onto the rear of the back 11 after the plate 13 is introduced into the frame 12 to hold the said plate against accidental displacement in the frame.

The sign plate 13 -is made of glass or other diaphanous material and is provided on its face with recesses 15 shaped to correspond to indicating characters such as letters of the alphabet, as will be readily understood by reference to Figs. l and 5. Thus, the sign plate 13 shown in the drawings depicts the word Exit Each ofthe recesses 15 is filled with a light absorbing substance 16, such-as luminous paint and the recess 15 is surrounded by a border 17 formed by polishing the corresponding glass surface. Adjacent the border 17 is a second auxiliary border. 18 formed by roducing recesses in the face of the glass plaate, the back of. each re* cess -being roughened by sand 'blasting or similar processes. The surface of the glass plate 13 between the auxiliary recesses 18 is` rovided with a coating 19 of dull paint.

the arrangement described, the indicating characters of the sign are well defined so as to be plainly legible.

The upper end of the frame 10 is provided at the front with a hood or a reflector 20 open at the bottoln and containing an illuminating means, preferably in the form of an electric lamp 21, which may be in the form of a plain bulb lamp, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or in the form of an elongated one, as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. The lamp 21 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 has its bulb screwed into a socket 22 attached to the Wall directly above the eXit door of a theater andthe said socket 22 extends through an opening 23 in j the frame 10 to support the sign on the wall.

'-gaged-withy a hook 26 attached to the wall.

It will be noticed that when the electric lamp 21 is burning, it illuminates thev face of the' sign and consequently the indicating characters thereon are plainly visible and in case o' a re, the audience can readil find the doors, owing to the illuminate exit signs. Some of the rays of light'emanating from the electric lamp 21 and directed down on to the indicating characters by the hood 20 are absorbed by the light absorbing substance 16, thus rendering the indicat- Aing characters luminous, in case the electric lamp 21 should become extinguished for any reason whatever. Thus, if the electric means Within a theater fail and the lamps 2l become extinguished, then the indicating characters are vrendered visible by the luminous sub-f stanceused in forming the indicating characters' and hence the audience can readily see the exit signs in the dark. p

By providing the sign plate with the polished border 17 and the auxiliary borders 18 and covering the intermediate spaces with a dull paint 19, the sign becomes very legia sign plate, a reflector hood attached tothe front upperpart of the said sign-plate and open at the bottom, the said hood inn closing the 'said electric lamp, and. indicating characters on the face of the saidy sign plate below the said hood and defined by a ight absorbing substance, the said indicat- 'ing characters havm Vrounded byl depresse polished borders sur dullborders and being'illuminated and rendered legible by the said electric lamp while thev'latter is burning and the rays of light emanating from the said burning lamp being absorbed by the substance to render the'said characters legible in the dark after the said lamp is extinguished. l

2. A sign, comprising a frame, the back of which has its front surface of a bright material, and a sign plate held in the frame and overlying the said bright surface, the sign plate being madeof glass and provided on one face with recesses defining indicating characters, the recesses having polished borders surrounded by depressed dull auxiliary borders, a coating of dull paint covering the face of the glass intermediate the said auxiliary borders, and a luminous substance filling the said character indicating recesses.

y3. A sign plate made of glass having recesses shaped to correspond to indicating characters and filled with luminous paint and auxiliary recess adjacent the first recesses and having dull surfaces, the portions between the recesses forming a border and polished and the portions of the plate between the auxiliary recesses being coated with a dull paint.

4. A sign plate formed of glass and provided with recesses shapedzto correspond to indicating characters and. filled with 'light absorbing material, and with narrow recesses surrounding the first recesses and having roughened bottoms, the portions of the plate surrounding the recesses having a dull surface.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

i EDGAR n BosTooK.` Witnesses :C

C. U. ALDWELI,y

- A. L. HUNmY. 

